A Mating in the Wilds

Binns, Ottwell, 1872-1935Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 421K words
Chapters: 43

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Mating in the Wilds by Ottwell BinnsAuthor: Binns, Ottwell, 1872-1935,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 13, 2007

Editor's review

A Mating in the Wilds by Ottwell Binns is a popular English-language novel, classified under English literature and reissued as a public-domain e-book. Judging from the title and the author's active period, the work has the typical character of early twentieth-century popular narrative: set against a wilderness or frontier backdrop, with a plot built around personal relationships and survival, briskly paced and highly readable. Its value lies not in any pioneering place in literary history but in offering readers a window onto the popular reading tastes of that era; it is suitable as light reading or as a historical specimen of genre fiction. As a public-domain e-book, it is readily available and moderate in length, suited to reading in segments during commutes or spare moments. It should be noted that early popular novels often carry the limitations of their time in character portrayal and gender attitudes; readers should view them historically, neither judging them harshly by contemporary standards nor treating them as serious literary classics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Casual readers who enjoy early English-language popular fiction
Researchers interested in early twentieth-century genre narrative
Readers who need light public-domain e-books to fill spare moments
Literature enthusiasts who want to understand the popular reading tastes of that era

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting serious literary classics and in-depth textual analysis
Readers sensitive to the gender attitudes of early fiction
Readers who prefer contemporary narrative pacing and character development

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to judge the narrative pace and character relationships, then decide whether to read the whole book.
Read it as a specimen of its era, noting the popular reading tastes and ideological limitations it reflects.
Use the e-book's search function to mark characters' appearances, avoiding confusion about relationships when reading in segments.
After finishing, compare it with other popular novels of the same period to compare themes and techniques.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book serious literature or popular fiction?

Judging from the author's active period and the tone of the title, it is closer to early twentieth-century English-language popular fiction, emphasizing plot and readability rather than any pioneering place in literary history. It is best read as a historical specimen of genre narrative rather than as a serious literary classic.

Might the gender attitudes in the book make modern readers uncomfortable?

Early popular novels often carry the limitations of their time in character portrayal and gender attitudes, and this book may be no exception. It is advisable to view it historically, as a window onto the attitudes of that era, neither judging it harshly by contemporary standards nor dismissing its reading value on that account.

Is the length and language difficulty suitable for beginners?

The available information does not give a specific length, but as a public-domain popular novel, its language is usually fairly straightforward and the plot moves quickly, making it suitable for casual reading by readers with some English foundation. Readers with weaker English may read it in segments with the help of reference tools, without forcing themselves to read it straight through.

As a public-domain e-book, how should reading be arranged?

Public-domain e-books are readily available and suited to reading in segments during commutes or spare moments. It is advisable to read the opening chapters first to judge the pace, then use the search function to mark characters' appearances to avoid confusing relationships when reading in segments.

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About the author

Binns, Ottwell, 1872-1935 Author · British · 1872–1935

Ottwell Binns (1872–1935) was a British journalist and writer of popular fiction. Public information about his education, professional career and personal life is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly his nationality, his dates, and two representative works, The Lady of North Star and A Mating in the Wilds. Judging from these works, he was skilled in adventure and mystery themes, with plots often centering on peril, pursuit and the unknown, and with the tension and suspense typical of early popular fiction. He wrote for a general readership, emphasizing readability and narrative pace rather than literary experimentation. The library holds two of his works, a small number that still reflects his orientation toward adventure and mystery fiction. Overall, he was an early twentieth-century British popular author known for entertaining narrative, and his works offer a useful sample for studying the themes and reader tastes of adventure fiction of his time.